Snap fastener



WITNESSES! Mmh 31, 1925- 1,532,101

G. H. ELWELL SNAP FAS TENER Filed' Jan. 5, 1922 IN E NTQK Patented Mar.31, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oruucsw GEORGE HENRY ELWELL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,ASSIGNOR TO CARR FASTENER COMPANY, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF MATNEJ SNAP FASTENER.

Application filed January 3, 1922. Serial No. 526,862.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I. GEORGE HENRY ELWELL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, inthe county ofGuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Snap Fasteners, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to snap fasteners.

The object of my invention is to provide a positive fastening means forthe temporary fastening together of fabric to fabric or to a rigidobject; and to provide such a fastening device the members of which areeasily snapped together with a single manual movement, and alsoseparated without necessarily tipping either member.

With this and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists in certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawing and particularly pointed out wherein patentablenovelty is claimed for certain features of the device, it beingunderstood that within the scope of what hereinafter thus is claimedvarious changes in form, proportion, size and minor details of theconstruction'can be made without departing from the spirit or modifyingany of the advantages of the invention.

The following is the description of an embodiment of my inventionrefe'rencebeing had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is across-sectionalview of the separated. members of the device, with pushbutton element shown in full; Figure 2 is a similar cross-sectional viewshowing interlocked members; Figure 3 is a similar cross-sectional viewshowing members in proper position for either interlocking 'orseparation; Figure .4 is a detail view of interior of button memberFigure 5 isa detail view of a button member part; and Figure 6 is a faceview of interlocked members.

Referring more particularly to the drawing in which similar numbersrefer to simi lar parts g V This snap fastener is comprised of a buttonelement 1 and a shank element 2, as distinctly shown in Figure 1. Thebutton element resembles, in a general way, the well known snap buttonhaving a face 3, attaching means 4, shank passage 5 extending en tirelythrough the button element, as shown 1n Figures 1, 2, and 3, andresilient arms 6 normally resting in saidpassage 5, as shown m Figure 4,said arms being adapted to be engaged by the shank element 2, as itenters said passage 5, and become interlocked therewith, as showninvFigure 2. I provide this button element, however, with back plate 7having bur 8 entirely surroundshank post 10 is mounted push button 12.

This push button 12 in form resembles a shank post 13 having a head 14the exterior surface of which is rounded and the greatest diameter ofsaid head 14 being no greater than the outside diameter of the freeextremity of said tubular shank post 10, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and3. Said shank post 13 is slidably mounted within said t'ubular shankpost 10, the rear end 15 of said shank post 13 being subjected to ablow, after assembling, sufliciently heavy to increase the diameter ofits extremity, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and thus providing apositive check to the forward movement of said push button 12, as shownin Figures 1 and 2. Said head 14 isprovided with an under-surface 16lying in a plane which is at right angles with the surface of said shankpost 13, and the exterior wall of the free extremity 17 of said tubularshank post 10, as distinctly shown in Figure 1, is rounded off toprovide a shallow groove 18 surrounding the shank element 2 when surface16 of said head 14 is in close relation to said extremity 17, as shownin Figure 3, the base of said groove 18 being'declined toward saidunder-surface 16 of said head 14; When, however, the push button 12 isin its most forwardly position, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a slot 19is thereby formed surrounding the shank element 2 between saidundersurface 16 and said extremity 17 as distinctly shown in Figure 1,the base of said slot 19 being provided by the surface of shank post 13of push button 12.

In operation, the button element in being snapped onto the tubular shankpost 10 engages the resilient arms 6 with rounded head 14 of push button12 and, with slight pressure on the button element said push button ismade to assume its most rearwardly position and said arms 6 to yieldagainst their spring tension suiiiciently to pass said head it andtemporarily lodge in groove 18, as shown in Figure 8. Immediately andautomatically the spring tension of said arms 6 having a strong tendencyto restore said arms 6 laterally to their normal position causes saidarms 6 to slide off said declined base of said groove 18 and, noresistance being offered by the undersurface 16 of head l i, the slidingmovement of said arms 6 operates push button 12 to its most forwardlyposition as said arms 6 force their way into slot 19, as shown in Figure2. Vith tubular shank post 10 lodged within bur 8 of back plate 7, and.arms (3 lodged tightly within slot 19, said button and said shankmembers are thereby positively interlocked against withdrawal, one fromthe other, either by direct pulling or by tipping one member upon theother. To separate said members the rounded head 14- of push button 12which, when the members are interlocked, slightly projects through theface plate 3 of the button element, as shown in Figures 2 and 8, ispushed inwardly and, while the members can then be separated by directwithdrawal, it is more natural and, perhaps, more easy tosimultaneously, and with the same hand, push inwardly said push button1.2 and to pulloutwardly the curtain, to which said button is attached,just below said button element. This action forces arms 6 from slot 19into groove 18, shown in Figure 8, from which position arms (3 can beeasily forced over said head 14 by a direct pull of the button elementor in the manner above described. While this manner of disengaging themembers of a snap button is usually well understood, as when a rigidshank head slightly projects entirely through the button element and thethumb is placed upon the rigid head to secure proper purchase upon thelifting of the b'utton element, yet to facilitate a definiteunderstanding as to the manner of disengagement of the members of thissnap fastener I have provided that upon the exterior surface of saidface plate 3 shall appear, if desired, the words Push and Pull, an arrowconnecting the first word with the shank passage through which head 14projects when the members are interlocked, and the second word beingplaced below said passage 5, as shown in Figure 6. When more than onebutton element is desired to be interlocked. with one shank member thetubular shank post is made sufficiently long to accomodate the desirednumber of button elements. The but on element or elements n-eceding thefinal button element to be so interlocked is pushed as closely to theshank base 11 as is possible. in so pushing the button element onto thetubular shank post 10 said arms (3 are not permitted to rest, evenmomentarily, in groove 18 but are made to pass that would be obstructionbefore the spring tension of said arms can operate said push button 12to its forwardly position.

What I claim is 1. In a fastening device comprising a stud member incombination with a socket member having resilient jaws, said stud membercomprising a stud-post having an attaching base and having a movabletip, said tip presenting a; rearwardly facing abrupt shoulder, the freeextremity of said studpost being provided with cam surfaces adapted tomeet the under-surface of said abrupt shoulder at an angle, and said movable tip, in close relation with said cumming surfaces, providing anannular groove adapted to slightly catch said jaws upon the uniting ofsaid members, and said camming surfaces, in co-operation with theclosing tension of said jaws, being adapted to automatically precipitatesaid jaws forwardly against said abrupt shoulder thereby extendinglyoperating said tip and positively lodging said jaws behind said abruptshoulder and interlocking said members.

2. A stud member having a proper attaching base and being adapted for aninterlocking engagement with a socket member having resilient jaws, saidstud member having an extendingly movable head presenting a rearwardlyfacing abrupt shoulder, the free extremity of said stud member beingprovided with camming surfaces adapted to meet the under-surface of saidabrupt shoulder at an angle, and saidmovable head, in close relationwith said camming surfaces, providing an annular groove adapted toslightly catch the resilient jaws upon the uni-ting of said members, andsaid camming surfaces, in co-operation with the closing tension of saidjaws, being adapted to automatically precipitate said jaws forwardlyagainst said abrupt shoulder thereby extendingly operating said head andpositively lodging said jaws behind said abrupt shoulder of the extendedmovable head.

3. A fastening device comprising a stud member having a hollowstud-post; camming surfaces with which the free extremity of saidstud-post is provided; an extendingly movable head having a rigid shaftmounted within said hollow stud-post, said head presenting a re'arwardlyfacing abrupt shoulder, the under-surface ofsaid shoulder being adaptedto meet said camming surfaces at an angle; and a socket member havingresilient jaw means, the under-surface of said shoulder in closerelation with said eamming surfaces providing an annular groove adaptedto slightly catch said jaws upon the uniting of said members, and saidcamming surfaces, in co-operation with the closing tension of said aws,being adapted to automatically precipitate said jaws forwardly over saidcamming surfaces and against said abrupt sho'ulder thereby extendinglyoperating said head and positively lodging said jaws behind said abruptshoulder and interlocking said members; whereby said members may beseparated only by the manual return of said head to said close relationto said camming surfaces thereby forcing saidjaws back wardly over saidcamming surfaces and into said annular groove from which they may beeasily released over said head while said head remains under said manualcontrol.

GEORGE HENRY ELWELL.

